French protests over proposed police identification law
Dozens of policemen stood guard, as Nantes has been a flashpoint of clashes between police and protesters numerous times in the past.
The draft law, which would make it a crime to circulate an image of a police officer in certain circumstances, passed the first hurdle in France's parliament on Tuesday (November 24) despite protests from rights activists and journalists.
Opponents say the law would hamper journalists' freedom to report on public events and make it harder to hold officers accountable if they use excessive force.
Supporters say the planned law is designed to protect officers and their families from being trolled online and harassed or attacked when off duty.
In the plans, anyone convicted of circulating a police officer's image with the intention of seeing them harmed could be jailed for a year and fined 45,000 euros - that's $53,450.
